


Shades Of Green (And All The Rest)

by Jen425



Series: All The Colors Of The Grid [14]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers R.P.M.
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Complicated Relationships, Dimension Travel, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Green With Evil, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentors, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Multi, Multiverse, Nonbinary Tommy Oliver, OT6, Other, Platonic Soulmates, Power Ranger Sequel, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, Welcome back to “Flaim could not write a battle to save their life”, angst & fluff, im onlytagging the relevant relationship combos btw, these tags are a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 08:45:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18601069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: They really could have picked a better time to reveal themselves.





	Shades Of Green (And All The Rest)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like there are fifty ways I could fix this up to be even better and angstier but… I’m tired. Almost 7k.
> 
> Just take it.
> 
> (And, for the record, I have ideas on how to get to the same end point WITH a similar middle but WITHOUT the two travelers of a soulmate AU as a practical sequel hope, but let me have this.)
> 
> Also! I make a lot of references to my projected way of all of the PR franchise occurring within the established reboot timeline, so get ready.

_ “Still think we should have come down here now?” _ Kimberly asks as this universe’s Rangers surrounded them. Tommy sighs.

 

_ “Sorry, I didn’t think how terrifying new Rangers would be while facing an evil one,” _ he says.  _ “Even  _ I _ haven’t experienced that.” _

 

And he’s been through pretty much every situation possible. Tommy looks around the Rangers’ base. Or what’s left of it, anyways.

 

_ “I… forgot how bad I left the place,” _ he says.

 

_ “Tommy—” _

 

“Who are you?” Jason asks. Jason. This is so odd.

 

“My name is Legendary Ranger, Second Earth Ranger,” he says, once again grateful that he’s in his Mighty Morphin White Ranger suit, even if it doesn’t match Kim’s Suit nearly as much as if he was Green… “And this is my partner, Mighty Morphin Pink. She’s also lead the Pink Power team, and ten of the 100 Battles teams.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Kimberly adds. “We’re here to help.”

 

None of the poor kids move a single muscle. Tommy doesn’t blame them. This new Green Ranger had kicked them around even more than he once had his own future team.

 

“And why should we trust you?” Trini asks.

 

Tommy turns to Kimberly.

 

_ “Shall we?” _

 

Kimberly nods.

 

“Power down.”

 

And they’re back. Tommy’s in green. Probably not his best decision, but his counterpart’s transformation pulls on the Power.

 

“You’re human,” Billy notes. Tommy nods.

 

“We are,” he says. “In fact, besides a mutation which changed the nature of Earth humans’ soulmate recognition type, we’re actually pretty common across the universe.”

 

“But we’re earth humans,” Kimberly adds.

 

“Then why hasn’t Zordon told us about you?” Kimberly - the younger Kimberly… actually, Tommy’s just gonna call her Kim. She says that.

 

“We aren’t from  _ this _ earth,” Kimberly explains. “We showed up about two weeks before you fought Goldar and…  _ Rita _ .”

 

Tommy nods at her disgust and surprise, even months later. Had he really never told them the origin of his own coin?

 

“It was Rita alright,” he says. “Easy to recognize when she was still tied to the Grid.” Turning back to the younger Rangers, he asks “Where are Alpha and Billy?”

 

The Rangers turn to each other, obviously silently conversing. Tommy and Kimberly wait.

  
  
  


_ “I don’t trust them,”  _ Jason says.  _ “But these two look…  _ feel…  _ extremely good, and extremely powerful. And Billy’s still injured.” _

 

Kim nods.

 

_ “I agree,”  _ she says.  _ “And how do they know who Billy is?” _

 

_ “But they’re Rangers,”  _ Zack notes.  _ “We need all the help we can get.” _

 

Trini is silent. Jason turns to look at her, they all do.

 

_ “…I feel like we can trust them,” _ she says, at last. Which, really?

 

But Jason’s the leader, do it’s really his call in the end.

 

“I might know how to help fix Alpha,” Legendary Ranger says, “…If he’s broken like ours was.”

 

“Recoded,” Jason says before he even realizes he’s moving his mouth. Legendary Ranger looks at Mighty Morphin Pink.

 

“Bi— _ Blue _ helped fix him, when… but I remember he had to reset on his own, shutting down for twenty four hours, and he lost his recent memories.”

 

Legendary Ranger nods.

 

“Right,” he says. “Sound familiar?”

 

Yes. Mostly. Alpha came back on in four hours, but now he’s seemingly incapable of speaking in English.

 

“Perfectly,” Trini says, with a bite in her voice. Why is she so down with them? Well, for her, anyways.

  
  
  


Billy looks up from his current project as the rest of the team enters, followed by a man in green and a woman in pink.

 

“Billy, Alpha, these are Legendary Ranger and Mighty Morphin Pink,” Jason says. “They’re here to help, we think.”

 

Alpha jumps up.

 

He asks them something, immediately, seemingly angry and upset. What does Alpha know?

 

“We know, Alpha,” Mighty Morphin Pink says. “But we were sent here for a reason we don’t know, and we happen to have lived through very similar events to this.”

 

Legendary Ranger adds something in a language Billy recognizes as Zordon’s.

 

Alpha nods, says something else in that strange gibberish that the new Rangers seem to understand, and steps aside for them.

 

Legendary Ranger walks over to Billy, then.

 

“Need help fixing the communicator base?” He asks. “Mighty Morphin Blue and Dino Thunder Tech have taught me a bit, over the years.”

 

Billy nods.

 

“Yeah,” he says. “I’d just perfected the communicators, too.”

 

Legendary Ranger just laughs.

 

“Sorry about the mess, then,” he says. “I know a thing or two about what this is like, broken tech and a missing mentor. Others know more, though.”

 

The man smiles.

 

“They usually do,” he says. “But I’ve known  _ all _ of  _ them _ … word to the wise, Billy, you should prepare an extra communicator. There’s almost always six.”

 

Billy hmms.

 

“So what were you speaking to Alpha?” He asks. Legendary Ranger shrugs.

 

“Ancient Eltarian,” he says. “I know about ten useful languages and five surprisingly useful languages.”

 

“And how many are alien?” Trini jokes. She’s also joined back in with fixing things, now that the threat had been taken care of.

 

Legendary Ranger smiles.

 

“Twelve.”

  
  
  


Kimberly pulls her counterpart aside, later that day.

 

“Hey, this may seem like an odd question, but do you know a new student named Tommy?” She asks, the girl looks at her in confusion.

 

“There was a kid in detention named Tommy Oliver,” she says. “They got into a fight with some assholes at lunch, and they’re sort of friends with Trini. They don’t seem very comfortable around all of us, though.”

 

Kimberly smiles.

 

“That sounds about right,” she says. “The first time I met Tommy, he helped fight off two idiots trying to flirt with me. Though he didn’t really know Trini until after… nevermind. My Tommy has less self confidence than he seems to, so that might explain the last bit. Unless…”

 

The girl’s confusion is evident and there are some things Kimberly doesn’t want to say yet, anyways. She sighs.

 

“Nevermind,” she says. “Just… your team is missing a light.”

  
  
  


Jason pulls Legendary Ranger away as the rest of his team all plan to leave. Well, except Billy.

 

“Who  _ are _ you?” He asks. Legendary Ranger sighs.

 

“To be honest? I want to tell you,” he says. “Because I didn’t do so well in this scenario in the past. In fact, you remind me of some old friends of mine… but I can’t. Not yet. However, if you wish, I  _ can _ show you.”

 

…what?

 

“Show me what?” Jason asks, hesitantly. Legendary Ranger takes a step back, grabbing his… morpher, he called it? It’s nothing like their coins.

 

“It’s Morphin Time! Dragonzord! Green Ranger Power!”

 

Before him now stands an almost identical Ranger costume to Rita’s chosen replacement. Jason stumbles back.

 

Legendary Ranger sighs.

 

“I was 15, new in town,” he says. “I attracted Rita’s attention, as a fighter. She kidnapped me, brainwashed me, made me her Evil Green Ranger… my friends saved me.”

 

Wow…

 

“Is that what you think happened here?” Jason asks. Legendary Ranger demorphs, nodding.

 

“I’ve been a Ranger for 24 years, Jason,” he says. “I’ve seen may Rangers fight other Rangers, for many reasons. And I know that I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my very rough start.”

 

“So what do you want from me?”

 

Legendary Ranger smiles, sadly.

 

“I want to defeat the Green Ranger, and hopefully save them,” he says. “And I don’t want you to tell your team what I said, just yet. But, if my counterpart can be saved, I want to make sure someone will stand by them.”

  
  
  


Trini does not in fact trust these Rangers. She still sometimes struggles trusting in her team.

 

But what she does trust is that they’re Rangers. What she does trust is that Rangers are supposed to be good and both of them feel incredibly familiar.

 

It’s Friday night, so that’s campfire night, and Legendary Ranger and Pink join them.

 

“So tell us about yourselves,” Zack says to the older Rangers. They turn to each other.

 

“Well, we’ve been Rangers for 24 years—”

 

“I think we wanna hear less about Ranger stuff,” Jason snaps. What happened when he talked to Legendary Ranger?

 

_ “You okay, Jason?” _ Kim asks through the web.

 

_ “I’m fine,” _ he says.  _ “Just need to process something.” _

 

“That’s in some ways how we met,” Legendary Ranger said. “I was new, but becoming a Ranger allowed me to meet my wife, here, and our other four soulmates.”

 

Wait…

 

“Wife?”

 

“Soulmates?”

 

“Ranger Teams are often soulmates,” Pink says. “Officially, Legendary Ranger is mine, Black and Red are soulmates, and so are Yellow and Blue. Unofficially, we’ve all been together, in some form, since high school.”

 

Legendary Ranger scoffs.

 

“Meanwhile I had to watch my kids dance around each other for a  _ year, _ ” he groans. “Do you know how hard that was? And then Dino Thunder Yellow brought them all to that interview…”

 

Pink smiles.

 

“I don’t know how that feels,” she says, “but I think another Black does.”

 

Legendary Ranger laughs.

  
  
  


Billy stays late, the next night, working on fixing things up while Tommy finally gets Alpha speaking English again. It’s familiar, in an odd way.

 

Years of being Leader and Blue and then Red and Tech. Even if this isn’t his Billy.

 

“My team and I all eventually went separate ways, after we all left being part of the Power’s current battle,” he says before even realizing the words came out of his mouth. Those years had been good for them, in different ways, and they’d never lost contact, or anything.

 

“My Blue stayed the longest,” he says. “But then he  _ had _ to leave.”

 

Billy turns to him. Tommy smiles.

 

“You’re gonna do amazing things,” he says.

  
  
  


Tommy hates going home, but the Rangers can’t find out about them. So they demorph and try to slip into the house unnoticed.

 

It doesn’t work.

 

“Tommy Oliver, where have you been?” Their mom asks. Tommy shrugs. It’s not like they can say. “Have you been getting into trouble, again?”

 

Actually, yes, but that’s not what their mom means. She means trouble.

 

“You’re so late I didn’t bother making food for you.”

 

She locks the food away and breaking off doors would raise questions.

 

“Go change into workout clothes,” she says.

 

Tommy really wishes she’d just let them sleep.

  
  
  


The next few days are quiet, and it’s getting Kim one edge. For one think, Tommy Oliver hadn’t been in detention, on Saturday, despite their fourth fight since arriving, this time with the  _ idiot _ named Bulk and their name read out from the list. And Tommy is somehow connected to all of this.

 

For another, Rita had been super direct, before. Now it’s just been weeks of putties and now the Green Ranger.

 

Kim knows something’s coming, they all do, but not what.

 

Then, on Wednesday, Jason doesn’t show up for the second half of the school day.

 

And then, right as they arrive at the base, red disappears from her sight.

 

“No…” someone says. All of them say? Kim drops to her knees. Legendary Ranger and Pink both seem to freeze.

 

“The Dark Dimension,” Legendary Ranger says. “They took him.”

 

“We knew it was possible,” Pink replies. And Kim is fed up.

 

“Who  _ are _ you!?!?!!” She yells. “What aren’t you telling us!?!?!!”

 

They turned to each other. Agreement.

 

“It’s Morphin Time! Dragonzord - Green Ranger Power!”

 

“Pterodactyl!”

 

Pink. Green.

 

Alone, Pink’s costume had seemed like a coincidence, but next to Legendary Ranger’s costume, so identical to their enemy’s…

 

“Rangers, my name is Kimberly Hart,” Pink -  _ Kimberly _ says.

 

“And I still can’t tell you mine,” Legendary Ranger says. “But we’ve lived through this before, and, hopefully, Jason isn’t dead. Alpha, does this Rita have access to the Dark Dimension?”

 

“Yes she does,” Alpha says.

 

“Then I’ll go find him,” Legendary Ranger says. “This suit was Rita’s, I… still have access, somehow. The rest of you should morph, though. I kidnapped my Jason to make the fight easier.”

 

Sure enough, the ship blares in warning a moment later.

 

“The Green Ranger and some sort of monster are attacking Angel Grove, I bet,” Kimberly says.  _ God _ that is weird.

 

But she’s somehow Jason’s second, so she nods and says “let’s go.”

  
  
  


Jason groans as he lands, unmorphing, his coin flying across the ground. He looks up and he sees something terribly familiar. Like the Goldar Putties who took over the kids, but instead this part must have hit a gorilla.

 

“ _ Ranger _ …” the thing whispers. They’re in some sort of forest.

 

“I’m gonna defeat you before we go to my mistress’ dimension,” it says.

 

That was four hours ago.

 

And Jason hasn’t stopped trying, but he’s little more than a punching bag, at this point.

 

Then, suddenly, the gorilla Goldar stops, and he disappears.

 

But the Green Ranger appears in its place.

 

“You are the biggest threat to our plans,” they say. “And now I’m here to kill you.”

 

Somehow, Jason gets a second wind. Maybe it’s that sped up healing.

 

“Oh yeah?” He asks. “I was thinkin’ the same thing.”

 

“You  _ will _ die here, today.”

 

“Not if I have anything to say about it!”

 

What? Legendary Ranger… he slips past the Green Ranger with ease, slips into the fog and comes up with the red coin, running to Jason’s side.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” he says, and Jason suddenly finds himself back at the base with a flash of red light. He stumbles, but Legendary Ranger catches him.

 

“Goldar and the Green Ranger really did a number on you,” he says. Wait.

 

“How did you know about Goldar?” Jason asks. Legendary Ranger laughs.

 

“I can’t even remember all the times I’ve fought that winged space ape,” he says. “But the Green Ranger was still posturing, and… well, my Jason, my Red, also fought Goldar when I kidnapped him.”

 

“Your Jason?” The Red that Legendary Ranger had talked so fondly of? That’s another version of himself? Legendary Ranger nods.

 

“My Jason,” he says. Then, holding out the coin, he adds “Now, let’s go join the battle! If you’re up for it, anyways.”

 

Jason nods.

 

“My team needs me,” he says. “Let’s go!”

 

(This is, surprisingly, when he decides he’ll accept the Green, if they can be saved. Because this Ranger who could beat all of them holds his counterpart up so high, as a leader and a Ranger and a soulmate and a person.)

  
  
  


After the battle (Rita must not know how to grow monsters in this dimension because they didn’t need to call Zords), they return to base. Everyone crowds around Jason save for Tommy and Kimberly.

 

_ “The Zord is next,” _ Kimberly says quietly. Tommy hums the melody.

 

_ “Then the Sword of Darkness,”  _ he replies.

 

_ “And then Tommy will be freed _ ,” Kim finishes.  _ “And maybe we can go home. _ ”

 

It’s been six months since they arrived here, and Alpha’s already helped them find the tech.

 

But they’re already in this particular battle until the end.

 

_ “I hope so.” _

  
  
  


Jason lets his team crowd around him.

 

_ “I really am fine,” _ he says.  _ “Legendary Ranger is… terrifying in a fight.” _

 

_ “Well we knew that from our spars with him and Kimberly!” _

 

Kimberly? Oh, Pink. That makes sense.

 

_ “Someone is going home with you, tonight,” _ Kim says.  _ “Fuck your dad.” _

 

Jason sighs.

 

_ “He is trying,” _ he says.

 

In the end, Billy is the one to stay the night.

 

And then the rest show up through his window  _ anyways  _ after a nightmare.

 

But he doesn’t mind one bit.

  
  
  


Tommy bows before their Empress.

 

“What is it that you request of me?” They ask. “I apologize for my failure in destroying the Red Ranger…”

 

Empress Rita laughs.

 

“Oh child, I understand losing to the Red Ranger,” she says. “No. I have… a gift.”

 

A gift?

 

“My Empress, I need no gifts,” they says. “Especially not after my failure to—”

 

“My  _ sweet _ child,” Empress Rita says. “This will help you defeat the Rangers.”

 

She pulls an intricate dagger from behind her back.

 

“Though my connection to your coin was severed in my first battle with the Rangers,” she says, “I did find something even more precious. It is my dagger, my own invention… come, Tommy, take it.”

 

Tommy stands, stepping forwards to take it. Empress Rita blocks them with her staff.

 

“If you can,” she says.

  
  
  


“So the Zords are powered through a complex connection to the Morphin Grid?” Tommy asks. Alpha nods. Tommy sighs.

 

“Well that’s a relief,” he says.

 

“And Zords cannot be connected to from the outside,” Alpha adds. No…

 

Tommy conjures his Dragon Dagger from the Grid, summons his Dino Morpher now tied to his powers instead of their source.

 

“What about these?” He asks. Alpha jumps, grabbing the Dragon Dagger.

 

“Rita’s creation…” he says. “This looks like her dagger. Both it and her Zord have been lost all this time… but if she found it…”

 

“I can externally pilot my Dragonzord with it,” Tommy says. “If this Rita could find a melody which shut down all the Zords…”

 

Alpha nods.

 

“I will plan for countermeasures, Legendary Ranger,” he says. Then he goes back to finding Zordon. “[Oh Zordon, where are you?]”

  
  
  


“Hey, Tommy!”

 

Tommy turns around in surprise. Who—

 

The Yellow Ranger.

 

(Trini. Yellow. Squinting but no recognition? They’re better off without color and a broken, one sided soulbond.)

 

“I’ve been trying to talk to you all week,” she says. “I was wondering if you’d like to come hang out with me and my other…  _ friends _ at the quarry tomorrow.”

 

Does she know… no. There’d be some sort of tell.

 

(Friends. Rangers. Rita had told them Rangers often were soulmates. But multiple human soulmates are so rare… it’s probably Pink.)

 

“Your group feels a little too close-knit for that,” Tommy says, instead. Besides, the Rangers may very well be destroyed by tomorrow. If everything goes right for once. And maybe they’re still jealous of the rest.

 

Tommy still wants to know who that other Green Ranger is, after all.

 

The Yellow Ranger just shakes her head.

 

“Yes, but they’ll be fine with it,” she says. Tommy pulls on their jacket, unconsciously. “Hey, I just realized… where did you get the jacket? You always wear it.”

 

Tommy shrugs. They don’t really want to tell the Yellow Ranger.

 

It’s probably not safe to wear a green jacket with a dragon on, though, if they want to keep their cover. But the Rangers will be destroyed, very soon, and Empress Rita will take the Zeo crystal.

 

“Just a keepsake,” is all that they say. “So, see you tomorrow night?”

 

The Yellow Ranger nods, looking unconvinced.

 

“See you then.”

  
  
  


Kimberly freezes as a haunting melody fills the air.

 

_ Doo do dooo dodo dooooo… _

 

A roar fills the air. She comms Tommy. Over the past few days, they’d finally helped Alpha recalibrate the transporters for human use, and the first and emergency practical test had gone fine. And she’s fairly sure Tommy hasn’t left since the last battle.

 

“Tommy, have Alpha teleport the Rangers,” she says. “We’ve got dragon sized trouble.”

  
  
  


“What?”

 

“How did we get here?”

 

“Ow…”

 

Tommy sighs.

 

“No time, Rangers,” he says. “We fixed the teleportation for human use. Now, get to your Zord because Rita got one.”

 

The team nods.

 

“Right.”

 

They run off together. A perfect team.

 

Tommy prays that it’s enough.

  
  
  


“So what are we looking for, exactly?” Zack asks over the comm.

 

_ “A giant robotic green dragon,” _ Legendary Ranger answers.  _ “But watch out. The Green Ranger can pilot it remotely, unlike you. If they gets onto your Megazord, they can use their dagger to shut it down.” _

 

“Got it, avoid the small green thing—”

 

“And kill the big green thing.”

 

“Piece of cake.”

  
  
  


“No!” Kimberly yells, as she watches the Green Ranger jump down from the Megazord.

 

Another familiar melody.

 

“Rangers, get out of there!” She cries.

 

_ “But—” _

 

“Out of the Megazord  _ right now _ !”

 

The kids need no more convincing, ejecting to land on the rooftop, right next to Kimberly. Their armor slips back inside them, and Kimberly powers down part way, grateful for the unique features of her Pink suit that she’d discovered when they designed for the multimorph members’ Master Morphers.

 

The Dragonzord swings its tail and the Megazord falls apart.

 

“No…” Billy says.

 

Kimberly carefully doesn’t think that this was the easy part. That this time was the easier loss because they recovered.

 

_ “We’ll get the Zords back here,” _ Tommy says over the comm.  _ “I already talked to Alpha.” _

 

A moment later, their Zords disappear in a bright flash of light. Safely teleported back.

  
  
  


Jason growls, kicking the side of the wall.

 

“We  _ lost!” _ He yells. “Now our Zords are shot, and Rita could come for the Zeo Crystal.”

 

“She could bring Goldar back…”

 

“She already has,” Legendary Ranger says. “But she’s looking for something. Remember those odd monsters you fought, the past few months? I think I know where they came from.”

 

Alpha nods.

 

“Yes, Rangers,” he says. “We believe Rita has taken over our old Ranger base on our moon. At the time of our crash, however, we had a prisoner, there. His species is long lived enough to still be alive.”

 

“Finster?” Kimberly asks. Who?

 

“The Dark Sculptor,” Legendary Ranger says. “That’s what he’s known as, here. He has the capabilities to create something almost like a Power Coin, which can go on Rita’s staff and—”

 

“‘Magic scepter, make my monster grow’?”

 

“Yes.”

  
  
  


Kim growls.

 

“So are you gonna explain, please?” She asks. “What’s going on?”

 

Legendary Ranger sighs.

 

“Rita is going to use the Sword Of Darkness,” he says, “To tie the Green Ranger to her will, as well as taking some of their power, permanently. With this, she can develop powers through her staff. New power.”

 

“Powers like making Finster’s monsters the size of a Megazord,” Kimberly explains.

 

Legendary Ranger opens his mouth to explain… and the walls start flashing.

 

“Yes!” Alpha yells. “Zordon! I’ve found you!”

 

The walls calm faster than last time.

 

“Yes, you have,” he says. “Is everyone alright?”

 

“Rita’s replacement broke our Zords,” Jason says. He always takes point.

 

“And we still don’t know who they are,” Zack says.

 

“Just that they keep kicking our asses,” Trini adds.

 

Zordon is silent, everyone is silent, for a long moment, and then he says it.

 

“I know the new Green Ranger’s identity,” he says. “Observe.”

 

The lights in the center of their morphing pads coalesce, slowly, into a recognizable form.

 

“…Tommy?”

  
  
  


Trini stares. It couldn’t be.

 

“I guess I can finally introduce myself,” Legendary Ranger says. “My name is Tommy Oliver, but my kids called me Doctor O.”

 

Tommy…

 

Trini can’t call him that. Tommy is Tommy.

 

“My color was white,” the man continues. “Nobody knew until I was revealed.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jason asks.

 

“I told you.”

 

There’s more. Trini should be paying more attention. Why is she so upset? It’s just…

 

_ “Ki— _ Pink!  _ I didn’t know my color was white! I didn’t even know you could  _ have _ multiple soulmates!” _

 

_ “It was like my world lit up.” _

 

_ “My name is Tommy Oliver.” _

 

 _When Trini met Tommy Oliver, her world lit up._ _Which sounds romantic, but…_

 

“Waiting for Rita to make her move might be our only option,” Kimberly says, as Trini snaps back to the present.

 

“I think I can make the weapon, in time,” Billy says. “An hour or two? It’s only eight.”

 

“We’ll save Tommy and get a new teammate!” Zack says. Like it’s simple. Like it doesn’t explain so much.

 

Like, Trini hadn’t noticed meeting and then losing her soulmate.

 

“But someone will need to use it,” Kim points out. “Who should it be?”

 

“I will,” Trini says, before she even realizes she’s opened her mouth. Legendary Ranger - Tommy -  _ not _ -her-Tommy nods.

 

“That seems fair,” he says. “And I can pilot any Tiger Zord, if need be.”

 

There’s more planning, and Kimberly drags her away as the others teleport out.

 

_ “I have _ got _ to add a teleportation function to our communicators,” _ Billy says over the bond.

 

“Hey,” she says. “Come with me.”

 

Trini doesn’t meet her gaze.

 

“Where?”

 

Kimberly smiles.

 

“Zordon can create a telepathic world,” she says. “I want to show you something.”

 

“What—”

 

“You’ll see,” Kimberly says. “But only if you let me.”

 

And… Trini nods.

  
  
  


Tommy bows before their Empress and they take the Sword of Darkness, feeling pieces of their strength permanently taken from their coin, given to Rita where they belong. The Power and Empress Rita’s own spells combine, and golden armor replaces what was lost, mostly at their shoulders. It’s even more powerful, now, and so is his Empress.

 

Empress Rita smiles.

 

“Perfect,” she says. “The Rangers will die, tomorrow, and I… will take what I came here for.”

 

“Of course, my Empress,” Tommy says.

 

“The Rangers will not know what hit them!” Goldar declares.

 

(If only they knew.)

 

But Tommy has something to do, for their cover. With a nod from their Empress, they returns to Earth.

  
  
  


Trini comes out of the vision, panting. It’s nothing like the threat Zordon had used on them, that first day.

 

It’s almost worse.

 

“We’ve had Evil Rangers before, as I showed you,” Kimberly says. “There was Psycho Green. Tommy. Kat. Karone. Ryan. Eric, arguably. The Thunders. Trent… and more. And I know it hurt every one of those teams to have one of their Own like that. I know  _ exactly  _ what it’s like to be in your position, more than anyone except maybe Kira, and I want you to know… you  _ will _ win.”

 

Trini nods.

 

“Thanks,” she says. She leaves with a lot in her mind and not another word.

  
  
  


Kim glares, sitting on the edge of the training area.

 

“And that’s all for today,” Tommy says. “See you all next week.”

 

There’s a wicked edge to their smirk. Kim waits until the kids have left before approaching her target.

 

“I know who you are.”

 

Tommy just smirks.

 

“About time, Pinky,” they say. They meet her eyes, and their own flash green. Kim takes a step back.

 

“We will defeat you,” she says. Tommy shrugs, slipping off the top of their gi to reveal a green tank top, to be able to put on the jacket they always wore.

 

“You’ll try,” they say. “I got a surprise, for tomorrow… oh, and say hi to your girlfriend, for me.”

 

Kim lunges at them, but they toss her to the floor, Dragon Dagger suddenly in their hand.

 

“I wouldn’t do that,” they say. “There are still some students outside, after all.”

 

Kim trips them and jumps back up.

 

“This isn’t over,” she says. Tommy’s not smiling anymore. They’re  _ glaring _ . And it’s a terrifying one.

 

“Definitely not,” he says. “See you tomorrow.”

 

And he walks out like nothing happened.

  
  
  


“You have secrets to tell me,” Zordon says. Tommy nods.

 

“My Zordon was almost all-knowing, when he was our mentor,” he says. “I struggled, when I became one myself. I figured, if you don’t lean too heavily on my world’s history for your own… I can tell you the history of my Earth and our affiliate Rangers.”

 

“…Go on.”

 

“Over ten thousand years ago,” Tommy begins. “Zordon, my Zordon, had his final battle with Rita Repulsa over the planet Earth. She locked him in a time warp, and he locked her in a dumpster on the moon…”

 

Tommy goes on. 

 

“…The Samurai Rangers were the first of Earth, tying the morphing Grid together with Japanese kanji to become the Samurai Rangers…”

 

And on.

 

“…Kimberly contacted our ancestors, who became the Wild West Rangers…”

 

And on.

 

“…We only learned of Grace’s team later, but my team’s own predecessors were called upon about fifty years ago,” Tommy explains. “Their Pink died, and their Black and Blue had been put into stasis after nearly dying in the battle…”

 

Fighting an evil Green.

 

“When Rita was freed from her prison, Zordon called upon five teenagers with attitude,” Tommy says, finally on comfortable ground. “Kimberly, Zack, Trini, Jason, and Billy, who are exactly what colors you expect. They defeated everything Rita threw at them… until she chose me.”

 

He tells more. Joining the team and then losing his powers. Getting them back and then losing them again. The White Ranger. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. Kat…

 

“With our Power Coins destroyed, Zordon reached out to some old friends, the Aquitar Rangers,” Tommy explains.

 

“So Aquitar still stands?”

 

“In our world,” Tommy says. “Hopefully In yours, too…”

 

Tanya and Zeo. Turbo and Justin and then their chosen successors. The destruction of the Power Chamber and heading out to space…

 

“The United Alliance of Evil must only have grown, then,” Zordon says. “It had only just begun when I battled Rita.”

 

Tommy nods.

 

“They had kidnapped Zordon,” he says. “And, in the end… Andros made a choice, shattering Zordon’s tube. The resulting wave of light—”

 

“Destroyed much of the evil in the universe,” Zordon finished. “But that is a last result, and never catches everyone.”

 

Tommy huffs. Sadly. He goes on. Lost Galaxy. Lightspeed. Timeforce.

 

Zordon says Eric reminds him of Rita and Tommy laughs.

 

“Where  _ did _ Rita come from, anyways?” He asks. “She sounds different from mine.”

 

“She was from a bad place,” Zordon says. “She was chosen on accident, always trying to prove herself…”

 

Tommy huffs. Sounds familiar.

 

“Yes… after Timeforce was Wildforce, who fought…”

 

Moving on. The Reds teamup. Ninjastorm. Tommy hopes that, whoever ran the road trip for him, they called in the full Ninjastorm team.

 

And then…

 

“After being a Ranger, I’d moved into other things,” he says. “While working with my mentor, Anton Mercer, I discovered the Dino Gems, which could channel Morphing Grid energy. With my friend Hayley’s help, I constructed the Dino Morphers. Kept one for myself, just in case. Then, while overseeing detention, my students, Conner, Ethan, and Kira, found and bonded with the gems. They’re a lot like this team, actually…”

 

Meeting Trent, knowing he was their final Ranger before they did, but not being able to say anything until he was trapped…

 

“Trent struggled in the aftermath, and I failed him,” Tommy says. “Do  _ not _ do this to Tommy because you want or don’t want them to be someone else.”

 

“…I will try.”

 

Tommy nods.

 

“Good.”

 

The other teams, and the announcement of planets, falling. Preparing. The Master Morpher power up. Megaforce. Ninjasteel…

 

“And that is the history of my Earth’s Rangers,” he finishes. “Use it wisely.”

 

“I will do my best, Legendary Ranger,” Zordon says. “Though it is good to know that Gosei is still out there, among other things.”

 

Tommy smiles.

 

“I’m sure his coin will come right here,” he says. “Possibly with him… when my counterpart needs it.”

  
  
  


The attack comes sooner rather than later. The Dragonzord returns during lunch. It’s close enough to the school for evacuation, and Zack meets up with the rest, in the chaos, for teleportation.

 

Which, wow…

 

Obviously they’d gotten home  _ somehow  _ after the crash, but incompatible teleportation and a robot tucking him into bed? Weird.

 

Well, it would be weird if he wasn’t currently running in a suit of alien armor to get to his mammoth inspired robot to fight another robot based on a dragon.

 

Zack… has a lot of thoughts about all of this. He trusts the older Rangers. Maybe because they do need all the help they can get. Maybe because both were such good people.

 

Maybe because Doctor O had pulled him to the side to talk, Black to Black.

 

_ “I don’t think Zordon knows anyone who can teach you,” _ he‘d said.  _ “Because each Color has rules. Blacks’ are the strictest. I’ve been a Ranger for 24 years and only known this for 13. See, Black Rangers? We have a special role. We’re the spies, the assassins, the ones who do things no one else can.” _

 

_ “Like, sacrifice our lives?” _ Zack had asked. And Doctor O had  _ laughed _ .

 

_ “No, that’s more of a Pink thing. They’re the protectors,” _ he’d explained.  _ “Our job is more difficult. And, if the Green Ranger needs to be killed and nobody can do it because he’s human, if anyone needs to fake joining her side, if  _ anything  _ like that happens… that’s  _ your _ job.” _

 

_ “So… what exactly does this mean?” _

 

_ “We make the tough calls, Zack,” _ Tommy had said.  _ “And we don’t tell anyone if we don’t have to.” _

 

Maybe he shouldn’t trust someone who sounds like he talks with experience on a subject like that.

 

Maybe it feels nice, though, to have a legacy.

 

But the hard part of that is… they’re going to fight Tommy. Because they’re evil.

 

And if they can’t save him…

 

Zack understands, now, what Doctor O was implying.

 

He isn’t happy about it. Trini’s his best friend, and he’s figured out the true connection.

 

Tommy had always refused to meet their eyes or talk to them for long, but he’d assumed it was something else.

 

They must have been jealous… Yellow is an easier color to notice than White, after all.

 

And he knows Trini’s been falling for their new enemy. Though not that second part.

 

Kim had been pissed, when they met back up the previous evening. They’d all ended up staying at the Command center, last night, anyways. In Jason’s room with the big bed and tangle limbs and mind voices planning and preparing and comforting. No words out loud.

 

Silence and the bond.

 

Technically, according to Doctor O’s explanations, Yellows were the hearts of the team. Or at least supposed to be. But Zack always knows how everyone is feeling.

 

Billy had been up for hours, working on more details for the healing daggers, when the rest had gotten up for school.

 

And Jason… Jason’s angry. Angry at Tommy. For Trini’s sake. It’s a special kind of perfect irony, and Zack’s glad that he won’t be facing Tommy one on one.

 

Their Zords still aren’t back at full power, but they don’t have a choice.

 

Doctor O and Kimberly teleport to the battle, in case there are putties or a small monster, and Zack gets in his Zord alongside his team, his soulmates.

 

To, hopefully, save their missing piece.

 

(A new transformation panel had been created almost without realization as they rebuilt the ship.)

 

And Zack prays that it works.

  
  
  


Tommy watches the battle, playing their Dagger. The other Zords are still weak.

 

Then the two Rangersthat Rita hadn’t recognized, hadn’t known what do with, spot them.

 

The White Ranger disappears in a blur and then someone kicks Tommy in the back. Tommy rolls with it, jumping up and back around to find themself facing the Yellow Ranger.

 

“Yellow,” they say. “Prepare to die.”

 

They summon the Sword of Darkness alongside their Dragon Dagger. The Yellow Ranger raises her own weapons, twin daggers of an incredible different design than their own, but perfectly her color.

 

“I’m not dying here, today, Tommy,” she says. “But I’m taking you with me.”

  
  
  


Nobody bothers to check with parents, in the aftermath. Trini and Jason don’t because they don’t particularly like their parents, even if Jason’s been having an easier time, lately. Billy and Zack’s moms both know. Kim just can’t be bothered.

 

Tommy just… can’t.

 

“You freed him,” Doctor O explains, “But not from his mind. Rita’s spell was a different one than my own used, and part of the Healing Daggers’ usage is kickstarting this process.”

 

“Will he be okay?” Billy asks.

 

Doctor O nods.

 

“Eventually,” he says. “I don’t know how much I should say, but I had a team I trained, and there was an Evil White Ranger. He needed his team more than anything, when he dealt with the change in his powers. His… his soulmates. It should only be a few hours.”

 

The man smiles, sadly.

 

“I needed my soulmates, when this happened,” he says.

 

“Is there anything we can do?” Jason asks. Kimberly and Doctor O just shake their heads.

 

“I dealt with this about a month after I was freed,” Doctor O says.

 

“But your world has a habit of being harsher, at least on a surface level,” Kimberly adds.

 

“So what do we do now?” Zack asks.

 

“We wait,” Kimberly says. “That’s all we can do.”

  
  
  


Tommy wakes up slowly, feeling worse than they have in weeks… then they remember.

 

A strange coin. Crying out in pain. The moon.

 

Rita.

 

Everything they had done. Tommy stumbles up and around until they find something that looks like a trash bin and releases everything in their stomach. Their stomach bile is yellow, they realize.

 

“So I take it you don’t want food, right now?” Tommy whips around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, finding themself facing a man with short, dark hair and a dark shirt. The man is smiling in a way that promises understanding.

 

He must be… he must be one of those unfamiliar Rangers, the ones that their Empress - no,  _ Rita _ had been worried about. Tommy stares.

 

“Who are you?” They ask.

 

“Call me Doctor O,” the man says. “I want to talk to you about a few things.”

 

Tommy tenses.

 

“Like what?” They ask. It feels like all they can do is ask questions and try not to break down.

 

“Like how to deal with the aftermath of being your team’s Evil Ranger,” Doctor O explains. “Because, in my world, I was the first of Earth.”

 

“Your world?”

 

Doctor O smiles, sardonically.

 

“My full name is Dr. Thomas Oliver,” he says.

 

…Oh.

 

“And the Pink?”

 

“My wife, Kimberly Hart,” their  _ alternative Universe self _ says. “We both kept our last names because, like with the others, it would be unfair to the group. We’re perfect as a group.”

 

“So… they…”

 

Doctor O nods.

 

“We didn’t realize it, at first,” he says. “That took time, and the final release of Rita’s ties to me. Luckily, the healing daggers were made to allow you to release it fully.”

 

Oh…

 

“So what happens to me, now?” Tommy asks. Their alternate self takes a familiar coin out of his pocket.

 

“Now, you make a choice,” he says. “You can leave, try to forget, maybe have a normal life… or you can begin a very long journey. As the Green Ranger and beyond. I know Rangers from across the Galaxy who have had this choice, and others who never realized they did, and people have made both decisions. I’m making  _ sure _ you have the chance to choose.”

 

And Tommy… a part of them wants to run. But that part doesn’t matter to them, because they can feel their guilt dragging them down, thinking about all the people they’d hurt.

 

They have to at least try and make up for it.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

Doctor O nods.

 

“Good,” he says. “Now, come. There’s a meeting in the Power Chamber.”

 

And Tommy goes to join their team.

  
  
  


“Even corrupted, the Green Power Coin chose well,” Zordon says, finishing his welcome. And Tommy can imagine how uncomfortable his younger self must be, right now.

 

The teen isn’t looking anyone in the eye, not even Zordon.

 

“Are you sure you want me, after what I’ve done?” They asks, quietly.

 

“Well I, for one, have been wanting to get to know you for a while,” Zack says.

 

Kim nods.

 

“I know you weren’t yourself.”

 

There’s something not said in that, and Tommy can guess from his own life.

 

_ “I know you’re the Green Ranger.” _

 

“We need all the help we can get,” Jason says. Which is good. Tommy’s been worried about how the Red might react. He was more like Conner than Jason, after all, and all of them had done so terribly, when Trent had first joined the team…

 

There’s silence for a good, long moment as Tommy’s counterpart locks eyes with Trini… and then she smiles.

 

“Welcome to the team.”

  
  
  


It’s Jason who notices Tommy slinking off as they get to the surface. He immediately slips away to follow them.

 

“Hey,” he says. “Where are you goin’?”

 

Tommy shrugs and doesn’t stop walking.

 

“Home,” they say. “No need to bring my addition into the limelight on your weekly little get together.”

 

What?

 

“Hey, Wait a minute—”

 

Jason runs, grabs Tommy’s shoulder, and barely even realizes he’s been knocked on his back. Then they stumble back.

 

“I…”

 

Jason groans, but gets up quickly.

 

“You actually had training before you were a Ranger, right?” He asks. “Otherwise, that’s a bruise to my pride.”

 

Tommy nods, hesitation in their every move.

 

“Yes, I did,” they say. “I’m sorry.”

 

Jason shrugs.

 

“I’ve had worse,” he says. “And you really should come back. We started these things as a ‘get to know each other,’ two nights before our first battle with Rita.”

 

“Your _ only _ battle with Em… with Rita herself,” Tommy points out. Jason nods.

 

“Exactly! So come back or I’ll ask Alpha to teleport you back.”

 

Tommy looks at him.

 

“Why do you care?” They ask.

 

“Because of Doctor O,” Jason says simply. “He knows a bit about how to deal with Evil Rangers.”

 

Tommy sighs.

 

“I can’t get out of this, can I?”

 

“Not really.”

  
  
  


That night, they once again stay in the ship. Even Tommy, who has a new room. The team, of course, piles into Jason’s room… except for their newest addition.

 

Then, of course, Zack wakes in the middle of the night to Trini shifting in his and Kim’s arms. She lets out a small cry of pain, and… that’s a nightmare, he should feel it, too.

 

But it’s not hers.

 

So it must be Tommy’s.

 

Quiet as he can, he slips out of bed and down the hall.

 

Sure enough, Tommy is tossing and turning and then bolting up with a cry of “no!”

 

He knows they’ve seen him, but they don’t even react except to flinch as he moves close, curling in on themself.

 

“Nightmares?” Zack asks. Tommy looks at him.

 

“What do you want?” They asks. Zack shrugs.

 

“I wanna help, Greenie,” he says. “Also, you leaked your nightmares over to Trini.”

 

Tommy droops even further down.

 

“Oh,” they say quietly. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be getting any more sleep, tonight, so she should be fine.”

 

They still won’t meet his eyes. Or any of the others’.

 

“Hey, look at me, Tommy,” Zack says. Tommy doesn’t move. “Please. I know, and Trini knows…”

 

“Does anyone else?”

 

“They might have guessed.”

 

Tommy nods, taking a deep breath… and the lights in the hallway, spilling onto Tommy, get much brighter. Zack squints.

 

“White,” he says. “That’s your color.”

 

Tommy laughs.

 

“That would explain a lot,” he says. “You done?”

 

Zack shakes his head, laughing.

 

“Nope,” he says. “You wanna go spar?”

 

“I could beat you in five seconds.”

 

“Not the point,” Zack says. “Also, we have putty holograms.”

  
  
  


The next day, the displaced Rangers say their farewells. Kimberly barely holds back laughs as her husband goes into Mentor Mode. Lots of positive adjectives and vague advice which will hopefully work if this universe stays somewhat familiar.

 

There are three dimensional jumpers, just in case.

 

They’re based on connecting to Ranger teams they’re already tied to, somehow.

 

Hopefully, it’ll take them home.

 

They step through the portal.

  
  
  


The woman stumbles back in shock as two familiar forms enter her lab through a portal.

 

“Legendary Ranger?” She asks. “Senior Pink Ranger? What are you doing here?”

 

They look at each other.

 

“Apparently,” Senior Pink Ranger says. “Not getting home, yet. It’s nice to finally meet you, Doctor K.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita
> 
> Also PLEASE comment. I don’t usually ask, but this was A Lot Of Work.


End file.
